Meanwhile, we’re melting…

The Guardian:
The vast expanse of sea ice around Antarctica has suffered a “precipitous” fall since 2014, satellite data shows, and fell at a faster rate than seen in the Arctic.
The plunge in the average annual extent means Antarctica lost as much sea ice in four years as the Arctic lost in 34 years. The cause of the sharp Antarctic losses is as yet unknown and only time will tell whether the ice recovers or continues to decline.
But researchers said it showed ice could disappear much more rapidly than previously thought. Unlike the melting of ice sheets on land, sea ice melting does not raise sea level. But losing bright white sea ice means the sun’s heat is instead absorbed by dark ocean waters, leading to a vicious circle of heating.

Sea ice spreads over enormous areas and has major impacts on the global climate system, with losses in the Arctic strongly linked to extreme weather at lower latitudes, such as heatwaves in Europe.

The loss of sea ice in the Arctic clearly tracks the rise in global air temperatures resulting from human-caused global heating, but the two poles are very different. The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents and is exposed to warming air, while Antarctica is a freezing continent surrounded by oceans and is protected from warming air by a circle of strong winds.
Antarctic sea ice had been slowly increasing during the 40 years of measurements and reached a record maximum in 2014. But since then sea ice extent has nosedived, reaching a record low in 2017.

34 thoughts on “Meanwhile, we’re melting…”

This is what we climate science overreactors have said dictates that we must do what we can to reduce emissions that contribute to the greenhouse effect. We may not be able to say humans are solely responsible for global warming but we can say we contribute to it and that is the only thing we can control. Our failure to do so puts the Keys, the Everglades and every flat, low lying estuary in the WORLD at risk, to say nothing of thousands of species of plants and animals that are critical to our ecosystems. No big deal, right?

An area of Amazon rainforest roughly the size of a football pitch is now being cleared every single minute, according to satellite data.

The rate of losses has accelerated as Brazil’s new right-wing president favours development over conservation.

The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.

A senior Brazilian official, speaking anonymously, told us his government was encouraging deforestation.

[…]

What does this mean for the forest?

Satellite images show a sharp increase in clearances of trees over the first half of this year, since Jair Bolsonaro became president of Brazil, the country that owns most of the Amazon region.

The most recent analysis suggests a staggering scale of losses over the past two months in particular, with about a hectare being cleared every minute on average.

The single biggest reason to fell trees, according to official figures, is to create new pastures for cattle, and during our visit we saw countless herds grazing on land that used to be rainforest.

Over the past decade, previous governments had managed to reduce the clearances with concerted action by federal agencies and a system of fines.

But this approach is being overturned by Mr Bolsonaro and his ministers who have criticised the penalties and overseen a dramatic fall in confiscations of timber and convictions for environmental crimes.

Why does this matter?

The forest holds a vast amount of carbon in its billions of trees, accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years.

Every year, the leaves also absorb a huge quantity of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be left in the atmosphere adding to the rise in global temperatures.

By one recent estimate, the trees of the Amazon rainforest pulled in carbon dioxide equivalent to the fossil fuel emissions of most of the nine countries that own or border the forest between 1980-2010.

The forest is also the richest home to biodiversity on the planet, a habitat for perhaps one-tenth of all species of plants and animals.

And it is where one million indigenous people live, hunting and gathering amid the trees.

Women’s World Cup 2019: What to know about semifinalists as USA, England, Sweden and Netherlands eye the title

The field is down to four in France — what are the strengths and weaknesses of each squad?

Just four teams remain at the 2019 Women’s World Cup after the quarterfinals finished up on Saturday. The United States, the reigning champion and No. 1 ranked team in the world, highlights the the field, and the Americans will face England on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET on fuboTV (Try for free). In the other semifinal, it’s the surprising Netherlands taking on confident Sweden on Wednesday. Gone are cup favorites France and Germany, and the winner of USA-England will be the favorite in Sunday’s final. But what should you know about all four remaining teams?

Here’s a look at the their World Cup history, and things to know about each semifinalist:

THIS PAGE in recent weeks has been graced with letters from readers recounting their memories of gathering on the Mall and watching the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Claire O’Dwyer Randall remembered her father driving her family in a 1939 DeSoto sedan “as close as we can get” to the Mall. Mary Resnick wrote about “our” special spot on the steps of the reflecting pool, surrounded by tens of thousands of “our best friends.” Carol Cavanaugh explained how the celebration was her annual reminder of the United States as glorious melting pot.

The letters were written in response to President Trump taking direct control of plans for the country’s premier Independence Day festivities; the writers were worried that a day traditionally set aside for Americans to come together for simple love of country was in danger of being co-opted and usurped. Judging by the latest revelations of the president’s plans, they were right to worry. The order of the day as ordained by Mr. Trump will not be patriotism but instead personality and politics.

It was bad enough that Mr. Trump sought to make the holiday about himself with plans to deliver a nationally televised address from the Lincoln Memorial, thus eliminating what many consider the hands-down best spot in Washington for fellowship and fireworks on the Fourth of July. But Mr. Trump now plans to cordon off an area in front of the memorial reserved just for dignitaries, family and friends. Nothing about reserved seating says “We the people.”

Equally, if not more troubling, is his insistence on a display of military might that will include a flyover of warplanes and the stationing of tanks or other armored military vehicles on the streets of the capital. What this will cost the Defense Department and the National Parks Service is anyone’s guess. (Officials have refused comment.) But the question of expense pales in comparison with the message that will be sent by a gaudy display of military hardware that is more in keeping with a banana republic than the world’s oldest democracy.

Administration officials say the celebration will be bigger and better than before, with more music and a longer fireworks display. But Americans shouldn’t be lured by the trappings or the spectacle or the rhetoric of Mr. Trump. Instead, like our letter writers, they should claim the day for values embraced by the founders: freedom, tolerance and respect for all.

People await the fireworks in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on July 4, 2018. (Calla Kessler/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON — The House’s tax-writing committee sued the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday demanding access to President Trump’s tax returns, escalating a fight with an administration that has repeatedly dismissed as illegitimate the Democrats’ attempt to obtain Mr. Trump’s financial records.

The lawsuit moves the dispute into federal courts after months of sniping between the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee, which requested and then subpoenaed the returns, and the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin. The outcome is likely to determine whether financial information that Mr. Trump — breaking with longstanding tradition — has kept closely guarded as a candidate and as president will be viewed by Congress and, ultimately, by the public.

In Tuesday’s filing, the House argued that the administration’s defiance of its request amounted to “an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the I.R.S., and the tax laws on behalf of the American people.”

Pogo…. Rick loves hostas… we have some very old and large ones. I remember when we first built this house 40 yrs ago this summer. The only wildlife back then was a few birds, chipmunks, and squirrels. Now nature is reclaiming the place back.

The women’s soccer game against England is almost set to start…. Go USA!

Renee, we’ve got a great crop of hostas in our back yard. The deer jump the fence – often while our “guard dog” is watching. they love the hostas. We came back from vacation and they were nothing but stems – which look like celery with the leaves cut off once the deer have had their dinner.

So it’s 1-1 at 22′. Odd that Megan Rapinoe didn’t start. She scored the US’s last 4 goals.

I was going to mention something about Tass reporting Putin calling an emergency at the same time SFB called back his adoring white creepy guy from New Hampshire (IIRC). But that would be a coincidence, I do not believe in coincidences.

A fine day – met with a dear friend and his girlfriend for lunch. It was wonderful.

LP’s girlfriend is coming to NYC for the 4th. I recommended finding a rooftop bar overlooking the harbor to watch the Macy’s fireworks. He agrees it’s a better option than watching the latest trumpfest.

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